Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

In Monkey and Me, a little girl brings her stuffed monkey on an adventure to see some animals — possibly to the zoo, although it isn’t specified in the story. The simple repetitive text: “Monkey and me, monkey and me, we went to see, we went to see some __________” will appeal to young toddlers who will be able to memorise and recite the whole book easily — and make them want to read it again and again — while the double-page illustrations of the girl and her stuffed monkey, as well as the different animals that they see, are bold and exuberant.

There’s a good variety of animals featured — penguins, kangaroos, bats, elephants and monkeys — which is great for young children who are still learning to identify them. The reader will also soon realise that the girl and her monkey are mimicking the actions of the animals that they are going to see next — e.g. waddling like a penguin and hopping like a kangaroo — and can have fun playing a simple guessing game.